What are Nicole Powell's specialties and areas of expertise?

Nicole Powell, LPC specializes in working with adults dealing with anxiety, depression, body image issues, stress, work challenges, relationships, and family concerns. She particularly focuses on helping young adults who are feeling confused, unhappy, or stuck. Nicole's clients often come to therapy looking for a place of peace where they can start to unpack their challenges and work toward feeling calm and in control of their lives again.

What therapeutic approaches does Nicole Powell use?

Nicole Powell uses evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness practices, and body-based interventions. She also integrates PolyVagal therapy into her practice to help clients better understand their nervous systems and how physical processes affect mood and behavior. Nicole describes herself as a therapist who does more than just listen—she actively helps clients get unstuck and start having wins by using strategies that science has shown to actually work for treating depression and anxiety.

What is PolyVagal therapy and how does Nicole use it?

PolyVagal theory helps us better understand our nervous systems and how physical processes can affect mood and behavior. Nicole integrates PolyVagal therapy to address thoughts, emotional feelings, and physical processes that contribute to depression, anxiety, and trauma. People who have experienced trauma often have nervous systems more attuned to threat, making it harder to feel present and safe. By learning about different nervous system states and integrating physical coping skills, clients can redirect their nervous systems when they're not responding appropriately to the current moment. This holistic approach helps clients find relief faster.

What makes Nicole Powell's approach different from other therapists?

Nicole describes herself as a therapist who will do more than just listen. While getting to know clients, she actively thinks about ways to help them get unstuck so they can start having wins. She uses only evidence-based treatments proven by science to work for depression and anxiety. Nicole also regularly reviews treatment plans with clients to ensure the approach is making a difference, adjusting the plan as needed. Her clients often report that sessions help them process stress-causing issues and connect to a sense of calm, and they're able to apply what they learn to make daily life more manageable.

What insurance does Nicole Powell accept?

Nicole Powell is in-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice PPO, Aetna, First Health, and Cigna/Evernorth insurance plans. She has some appointments available, mostly in the early afternoon. Nicole also offers free 15-minute consultations where you can share what's going on and explore how she can help before committing to therapy.

Nicole Powell, LPC- Counseling for women

Q: What is Nicole Powell's background and training?

Nicole Powell is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She earned her BA in Psychology from St. Mary's University in Minnesota and her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lewis University in Romeoville. Nicole has worked and volunteered in various settings including domestic violence shelters, non-profits, and treatment programs for people suffering from depression, anxiety, and life challenges. Her natural curiosity about the human experience and her passion for psychology, combined with compassion developed through personal experiences, led her to become a therapist.

Counseling for Adults Living With Anxiety, Depression, and Body Image Concerns

Hi, I'm Nicole Powell, a Licensed Professional Counselor at Shift Counseling, PC in North Riverside, Illinois. I work with adults who are navigating anxiety, depression, body image struggles, and the everyday weight of the world that comes with work, relationships, and family.

A lot of my clients come to me feeling confused but certain they're not happy, looking for somewhere they can finally start to unpack what's weighing on them. I understand that place, and it's a big part of why I became a therapist. People have always fascinated me, and I've lived through enough of my own hard seasons, and watched people I love go through theirs, to know how lonely the figuring-out part can feel.

If any of that rings true for you, I'd love to help you get started. I see clients in person at our North Riverside office and virtually throughout Illinois.

Who I Work With

Most of the people I work with are carrying more than they let on. For some, it's a worry that never fully switches off. For others, it's moving through the day on autopilot and feeling strangely numb. And for a lot of my clients, it's a quiet, complicated relationship with their own body that colors everything before the day even begins. Whatever brought you here, this is some of what we tend to work through together:

What you might be feelingAnxiety, racing thoughts, and the sense of never quite being able to relax
Depression, low motivation, and feeling stuck
Body image struggles and a strained relationship with food or weight
What's getting in the wayStress that builds up faster than you can let it go
Strain in relationships with partners, friends, or family
Where it shows upPressure and burnout connected to work
Starting to recognize how stress affects your mind and body, and wanting to work with a therapist who can help you get out of stress responses

You don't need to show up with it all figured out, or even know where to begin. Helping you find the words, and then actually do something with them, is the part of this work I love most.

Schedule Free Consultation with Nicole

My Path to This Work

I have been drawn to psychology for as long as I can remember, but what keeps me in this work is the people. There is nothing quite like watching someone move toward the kind of healing that therapy makes possible and getting to be a part of it.

Getting here took years of study and a lot of hands-on work in some demanding places.

My Training and Background

BA in Psychology, St. Mary's University, Minnesota
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Lewis University, Romeoville

Alongside my degrees, I have worked and volunteered across a range of settings, including domestic violence shelters, non-profits, and treatment programs for people living with depression, anxiety, and other life challenges. That range shaped how I show up in the room: practical, grounded, and focused on what helps.

What Makes My Approach Different

I am a therapist who will do more than just listen. While I am getting to know you, I am also thinking about how to help you get unstuck, so you can start having some wins for a change.

I use evidence-based treatments, which are simply strategies that research has shown to actually work for anxiety, depression, and trauma. In our work together, that usually includes:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

To help you notice and shift the thought patterns that keep you stuck.

Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)

To work through painful or traumatic experiences at a pace that feels safe.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

To help you make room for hard feelings while still moving toward the life you want.

Mindfulness practices

To help you slow down and reconnect with the present.

Body-based interventions

To address the physical side of stress, not just the mental side.

Woman gazing out a window while holding a warm cup of coffee, a quiet moment of reflection.

Once we've been working together for a little while, we'll step back and check in on the plan, so we can be sure it's making a real difference in your life. If something isn't working, we adjust it.

Learn more about CBT

How Polyvagal-Informed Care Shapes Our Work

Man standing with eyes closed, both hands resting over his heart in a calming gesture.

I have spent time deepening my training in Polyvagal theory, and I bring that lens into my sessions. Polyvagal theory helps us understand the nervous system and how physical processes shape our mood and behavior. People who have lived through trauma often have nervous systems that stay more attuned to threat, which can make it harder to feel present and safe.

We are not in full control of our nervous systems, but we can become a lot more empowered once we understand how we move through different nervous system states. Learning physical coping skills gives us a way to redirect the nervous system when it is reacting to something that is not actually happening right now. By working with your thoughts, your emotions, and the physical processes underneath depression, anxiety, and trauma all at once, we can often help you find relief faster.

Learn more about Polyvagal Therapy

Let's Get Started

I am accepting new clients right now, with some appointments available, mostly in the early afternoon. Getting started is simple.

Reach out.

Use our contact form or book a free 15-minute consultation. On the call you can share what is going on and we can explore how I can help.
Have your first session.

We will talk through what brought you in and start mapping out what you want to be different.
Begin the work.

We build a plan together, track how it is going, and adjust as we go.

At Shift Counseling, PC in North Riverside, we are in network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice PPO, Aetna, Cigna, First Health, MyBlue Plus, and Lyra EAP. We also accept FSA, HSA, and HRA cards, and we are happy to help you understand your coverage.

View Nicole’s Schedule and Request an Appointment

FAQs

Nicole is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) at Shift Counseling, PC in North Riverside, Illinois. She works with adults navigating anxiety, depression, body image concerns, stress, and challenges tied to relationships, family, and work. She holds a BA in Psychology from St. Mary's University and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lewis University, and she draws on evidence-based approaches like CBT and ACT along with mindfulness and Polyvagal-informed care.
Nicole works with adults who often feel confused or stuck and know they are not happy, even if they cannot yet name why. If you are living with anxiety, depression, or a hard relationship with your body, and you want a therapist who will help you actually get unstuck rather than just nod along, you will likely be a good match. She welcomes clients from all backgrounds across the North Riverside area.
The free 15-minute consultation is a quick call where you can share what is going on for you and ask Nicole whatever you want about how she works. From there you can decide for yourself whether it feels like the right fit, with no obligation to book.
There is no fixed timeline, because it depends on what you are working through and what you want from the work. Some people come in for a specific concern and feel real movement in a few months, while others choose to stay longer for ongoing support. Nicole reviews your plan with you regularly to make sure the work is making a difference, and you stay in control of how long you continue.
Nicole is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Illinois with a BA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has worked and volunteered in domestic violence shelters, non-profits, and treatment programs supporting people with depression, anxiety, and other life challenges, and she has additional training in Polyvagal theory that she brings into her sessions.
At Shift Counseling, PC, sessions typically range from $75 to $200 without insurance. With in-network coverage, you may only be responsible for a copay of $10 to $50 per session. Shift Counseling is in-network with BCBS PPO, Aetna, Cigna/Evernorth, and Lyra. We can give you an estimate of your benefits when you call to schedule. You can read more on our Fees page.
Yes. Nicole sees clients in person at our North Riverside office and virtually throughout Illinois, including Broadview, Westchester, Brookfield, La Grange Park, Berwyn, Forest Park, and Chicago. Telehealth makes it easier to keep your sessions consistent even with a full schedule or a longer commute.
We see clients by appointment only. Please provide at least 24 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. Missed sessions without 24-hour notice are subject to a $50 fee.